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MLA Format

Jacobs, Sally H. “Before Serena, There Was Althea.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 Aug. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/25/nyregion/althea-gibson-tennis-harlem.html.

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Althea Gibson was the first Black player to win Wimbledon. Soon, the block in Harlem where she grew up will bear her name.

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her tennis journey
- where sheʻs from
- her wins
- notable people "the Queen"

MLA Format
TIME Magazine, vol. 70, no. 9, Aug. 1957, pp. 44–48. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=54189817&site=ehost-live.

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Sign in with your credentials to access the EBSCOhost premium information resources provided by your subscribing institution.

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more info of broken color barrier

MLA Format
Gray, Frances Clayton, and Yanick Rice Lamb. “Remembering the African American Godmother of Tennis: Althea Gibson 1927-2003.” Black Enterprise, vol. 35, no. 2, Sept. 2004, p. 134. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brb&AN=503993677&site=ehost-live.

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Sign in with your credentials to access the EBSCOhost premium information resources provided by your subscribing institution.

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- was a homosexual
- black
a whole bunch of challenges

Brown, Ashley. “‘Uncomplimentary Things’: Tennis Player Althea Gibson, Sexism, Homophobia, and Anti-Queerness in the Black Media.” Journal of African American History, vol. 106, no. 2, Spring 2021, pp. 249–77. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=150251138&site=ehost-live.

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Important User Information: Remote access to EBSCO's databases is permitted to patrons of subscribing institutions accessing from remote locations for personal, non-commercial use. However, remote access to EBSCO's databases from non-subscribing institutions is not allowed if the purpose of the use is for commercial gain through cost reduction or avoidance for a non-subscribing institution.

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Important User Information: Remote access to EBSCO's databases is permitted to patrons of subscribing institutions accessing from remote locations for personal, non-commercial use. However, remote access to EBSCO's databases from non-subscribing institutions is not allowed if the purpose of the use is for commercial gain through cost reduction or avoidance for a non-subscribing institution.

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POV from a friend

MLA format
Palfrey, Sarah. Sports Illustrated, vol. 7, no. 10, Sept. 1957, p. 28. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=54144390&site=ehost-live.

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Important User Information: Remote access to EBSCO's databases is permitted to patrons of subscribing institutions accessing from remote locations for personal, non-commercial use. However, remote access to EBSCO's databases from non-subscribing institutions is not allowed if the purpose of the use is for commercial gain through cost reduction or avoidance for a non-subscribing institution.

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Important User Information: Remote access to EBSCO's databases is permitted to patrons of subscribing institutions accessing from remote locations for personal, non-commercial use. However, remote access to EBSCO's databases from non-subscribing institutions is not allowed if the purpose of the use is for commercial gain through cost reduction or avoidance for a non-subscribing institution.

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referred in a book

MLA Format
Hernandez, Mary N. “Gibson, Althea (1927-2003).” Freedom Facts & Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience, Jan. 2009, pp. 344–45. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=40074400&site=ehost-live.

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Spanning nearly 400 years from the early abolitionists to the present, Freedom Facts and Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience profiles more than 400 people, places, and events that have shaped the history of the black struggle for freedom.

Covering such mainstay figures as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks as well as delving into how lesser known figures contributed to and shaped the history of civil rights, Freedom Facts and Firsts chronicles the breadth and passion of an entire people's quest for freedom. Among the inspiring stories found in this comprehensive resource are:

How the Housewives' League of Detroit started a nationwide movement to support black businesses, helping many to survive the Great Depression.

What effect the sports journalist Samuel Harold Lacy had on Jackie Robinson's historic entrance into the major leagues.

How the 9th and 10th Calvary and the 24th and 25th Infantry became known as the Buffalo Soldiers, a term of respect and endearment.

How Whoopi Goldberg survived poverty, drug addiction, single parenthood, and a welfare income and used her personal history to take a satirical look at social issues.

How world champion bicyclist Marshall "Major" Taylor was the first American-born black champion in any sport.

How in 1890 John Mercer Langston became the first black U.S. congressman elected from his native state of Virginia.

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Spanning nearly 400 years from the early abolitionists to the present, Freedom Facts and Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience profiles more than 400 people, places, and events that have shaped the history of the black struggle for freedom.

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MLA Format
“Althea’s Odyssey.” Life, vol. 41, no. 1, July 1956, pp. 88–90. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lma&AN=112921894&site=ehost-live.

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MLA Format
“Leveling the Playing Field: Althea Gibson.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, 15 July 2020, https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/leveling-playing-field-althea-gibson.

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National Museum of African American History and Culture

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Even as more mainstream sports such as baseball, football, and basketball began to accept black competitors, golf and tennis remained closed to most African Americans.

These sports helped convey social status, and players prided themselves on refined competition characterized by emotional control and gentlemanly and ladylike behavior. Because of these sports' close association with cultural elites, African American tennis players and golfers had to cross boundaries that were not present in other sports.

Tennis and golf occupy a different place in the world of sports than football, basketball, and baseball. They connect more closely to social status, wealth, and the exclusivity of country clubs. Tennis player and professional golfer Althea Gibson was the first African American woman to compete at the highest levels of both sports. Her accomplishments broke race, gender, and class barriers.

Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson (1927-2003) was the first African American to win a Grand Slam tennis event-she captured the singles crown at the French Championships (now the French Open) in 1957. In total, Gibson won five Grand Slam singles tournaments. In 1967 she also became the first African American women to compete on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour. After her playing days ended, Gibson remained a trailblazer. She became the country's first woman state athletic commissioner in 1976.

I always wanted to be somebody. If I made it, it's half because I was game enough to take a lot of punishment along the way. Althea Gibson

In 1957 Althea Gibson shared the prestigious Wightman Cup medal as part of the U.S. women's team that defeated the United Kingdom. One of the few women who joined government-sponsored goodwill tours, she was also presented with a medal in Pakistan.

Throughout most of the 20th century, tennis fans expected mainly finesse and timidity in the women's game. But Althea Gibson was an aggressive tennis player who hit powerful groundstrokes and was unafraid to charge the net. Because of Gibson's race and style of play, critics erroneously accused her of lacking femininity.

Althea Gibson was frequently referred to as the "female Jackie Robinson." But she was uncomfortable in the role of a civil rights activist. Rather than joining marches and other protests, Gibson was content to use her athletic abilities to break down racial barriers. She was criticized for her decision, but she continued to rely upon her trailblazing athletic feats in tennis and golf as forms of protest.

Williams' Sisters

Venus and Serena Williams have continued Gibson's tradition of aggressive play. The Williams sisters are among the most dominant women's tennis players in history. The sisters did not hone their skills at exclusive tennis academies; they learned the game on public courts in Compton, California. Their aggressive and intimidating style of play made the tennis establishment uncomfortable. Their rejection of the game's insular and exclusionary culture has extended their fan base far beyond the tennis court.

The integration of tennis, like that of golf, has been an ongoing battle. As of 2016, only four African Americans-Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams-have won the sport's most prestigious contests, the individual Grand Slam events. But as the most prominent women's professional sport, tennis has been an important space in which a few African American women have earned as much prize money as men.

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Leveling the Playing Field: Althea Gibson

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Even as more mainstream sports such as baseball, football, and basketball began to accept black competitors, golf and tennis remained closed to most African Americans. These sports helped convey social status, and players prided themselves on refined competition characterized by emotional control and gentlemanly and ladylike behavior.

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MLA Format
Chucik. “Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX with Archival Footage of Sporting Legends.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, 22 June 2022, https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2022/06/22/celebrate-the-50th-anniversary-of-title-ix-with-archival-footage-of-sporting-legends/.

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June 23, 2022 is the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the landmark federal bill designed to guarantee equal opportunities for women in education and sports by prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools. Title IX was passed as part of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, U.S. federal legislation under public law 92-318. The bill was co-authored and introduced to Congress by Senator Birch Bayh and Representative Patsy Mink. Mink was inspired to co-author such a bill after having experienced sex discrimination when she was denied entry to medical school. Instead, she entered law school and went on to become the first Asian American and first woman of color elected to Congress. During her time in the House of Representatives, she sponsored and authored numerous legislative proposals meant to improve the lives of women and historically marginalized communities.

While Title IX was designed to extend civil rights and anti-discrimination protection to girls and women in all aspects of education, sports are where the law had its biggest impact. The act dramatically increased the number of women playing sports. Before Title IX, 1 in 27 girls played sports. Today that number is 2 in 5. There is no doubt that all women who participate in sports today have been directly affected by the passage of Title IX, but women's participation in sports did not start in 1972. Those who were competing prior to the passage of Title IX faced barriers and hardships in order to participate in sports.

Join us as we celebrate the anniversary of the passage of Title IX with footage found in our motion picture holdings of several sporting legends whose careers began before the passage of Title IX. Their achievements helped to normalize the idea of female athletes and highlight the need for equal treatment.

Still from UN-UN-33-73 of Gold Medalist Wilma Rudolph (center), Jutta Heine (right), and Dorothy Hyman (left).

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was formed in 1943 at the height of World War II with the intention to help offset possible revenue loss and keep baseball in the public eye. The league was in operation from 1943 to 1954 and is considered the precursor of women's professional league sports in the United States. The league grew from 4 teams to 10 with attendance peaking at over 900,000 and gave some 600 female athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball for the first time. The Rockford Peaches, a founding member of the league, won a record four championships and are the most well-known team thanks to the 1992 film A League of Their Own.

The following clip from Universal Newsreel highlights the 1949 Kenosha Comets. The Comets were a founding member of the league and competed for 9 seasons. That year, the team finished fourth (58-55) in the league and lost to the Muskegon Lassies in two games during their first round of post-season action. While the footage is silent, the production records do include the original narrative for the clip. It lists the players featured in the footage as Joan Holderness, Helen Candaele, Margaret Villa, Jean Cione and Dorothy Naum. The original narrative for the clip as well as a game program can be viewed in the slide show below.

Clip from Universal News Volume 22, Release 280

Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson, known as the Queen of Tennis, is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players to have ever lived. Despite limited opportunities for Black Americans to play tennis, Gibson eventually helped integrate national and international tennis and became the first Black American to win a Grand Slam title and the first to compete at the U.S. National Championships. In total during her career, Gibson won 56 national and international singles and doubles titles.

The following clip from record 306-LSS-1654 features Gibson playing Darlene Hard in the 1958 US National Championships. Gibson defeated Hard 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the final to win the women's singles tennis title. In 1958 alone, Gibson defended her Wimbledon and US National singles titles, won her third straight Wimbledon doubles championship, was ranked number one woman in the world and in the United States, and was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press. In that same year, she also became the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Mildred "Babe" Didrikson

Regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time, Mildred "Babe" Didrikson was an Olympic gold medalist, world record holder and multi-sport athlete. Didrikson played baseball, basketball, softball, was an expert diver, bowler, and boxer. She is most well known for her tack and field accolades and contributions to golf. At the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, she set four world records, winning two gold medals and one silver medal. She is still the only track and field athlete to win individual Olympic medals in separate running, throwing and jumping events. After the Olympics, Didrikson began golfing and quickly became America's first female golf celebrity. In her lifetime, she won 82 golf tournaments and was the first American woman to win the British Women's Amateur Golf Tournament. Before her untimely death in 1956, Didrikson and Patty Berg co-founded the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).

Babe Didrikson appears in NARA's film holdings in a Department of Defense newsreel series titled America's Newsreel Album. The clip, produced sometime after her death in 1956, highlights the accomplishments and personal life of Didrikson and shows her participating in several sports including track and field, boxing and golf.

Janet Guthrie

Originally an aerospace engineer, Janet Guthrie began racing part time in 1963 on the Sports Car Club of America circuit. By 1972, she was racing full time and in 1977 she became the first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. In her four seasons of competition in NASCAR, Guthrie competed in 33 races with her top finish coming in 1977 when she placed 6th at Bristol Motor Speedway. Her finish is the best by a woman in a top-tier NASCAR race, currently tied with Danica Patrick. Guthrie was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Sports Car Club of America Hall of Fame in 2018.

Guthrie was interviewed in 1977 for a U.S. Information Agency production series titled . The following clip was taken from Vision USA number 64 and shows Guthrie competing in the Delaware 500 at Dover International Speedway. She ended the race in 11th place, completing 483 laps.

Wilma Rudolph

World-record-holder, Olympic champion, and international sports icon, Wilma Rudolph competed in her first Olympic Games while still in high school in 1956. As a child she was told she may never walk again after bouts with polio and scarlet fever. She was able to fully recover and at the age of 16 she was the youngest member of the 1956 U.S. Olympic team. At the 1956 Summer Olympics, Rudolph competed in the 200-meter dash and won a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter relay. Four years later at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, Rudolph won three gold medals becoming the first Black American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games. Known as the "fastest woman in the world" Rudolph won the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award in 1961. She was inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame and became the first woman to receive the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Silver Anniversary Award.

Wilma Rudolph's record breaking 1960 Olympics was covered by newsreels across the country. Universal Newsreel includes several stories on Rudolph following her during her time in Rome. The below clip, taken from Universal Newsreel Volume 33, Release 73, shows the women's 200 meter dash finals with Rudolph winning her second of three gold medals.

Clip from Universal Newsreel Volume 33, Release 73

Kathrine Switzer and Bobbi Gibb

Until 1972, women were prohibited from running the Boston Marathon. This, however did not stop several women from trying. Kathrine Switzer and Bobbi Gibb both ran in the marathon prior to 1972. In 1966, Bobbi Gibb became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in an unofficial capacity. She did not officially enter the race and instead joined the starting field shortly after the race started. Gibb finished the race in 3:21:40 and placed 126th overall. In 1967, Katherine Switzer became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor. During the race, race manager Jock Semple tried to stop Switzer from running but was unsuccessful in his attempt and she continued on finishing with a time of 4:20:00.

Universal Newsreel Volume 40, Release 33 covers the 1967 Boston Marathon. While the official release sheet for the newsreel does not provide any information about Switzer's participation, the producers did include a clip of her running.

Clip from Universal Newsreel Volume 40, Release 33

All of the athletes discussed here faced barriers in their careers because of their gender. They received less formal sports training, were paid less or nothing at all for their talents and were often blocked from competing. But because they managed to beat the odds against them and continued to compete, they helped normalize women's participation in sports. And while the passage of Title IX helped to boost the growth of women's sports in America by guaranteeing equal opportunity for women to participate in sports at federally funded schools, it is important to remember that female athletes still face barriers in their careers. Title IX does not guarantee equal spending and women's athletic budgets and scholarship funds still lag far behind men's.

To learn more about Title IX, related programs and online resources, please visit the National Archives webpage. Additional catalog resources highlighting female athletes can be found in NARA's motion picture and still picture holdings as well as additional footage of Althea Gibson, Babe Didrikson, Janet Guthrie, and Wilma Rudolph. Additional blog posts featuring female athletes can be found here: Title IX and Women's Soccer in NARA's Film Holdings, This Week in Universal News: The All-American Girl Baseball League, 1951, The U.S. Forest Service Presents: Winter Olympics, Spotlight: Universal Newsreel Highlights Female Baseball Players, and This Week in Universal News: Tennis Legends Wills and Wightman Take on the Boehm Twins, 1931.

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Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX with Archival Footage of Sporting Legends

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June 23, 2022 is the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the landmark federal bill designed to guarantee equal opportunities for women in education and sports by prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools. Title IX was passed as part of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, U.S.

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MLA Format

Humanities, National Endowment for the. “St. Paul Recorder. [Volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, July 13, 1956, Image 7.” News about Chronicling America RSS, Northwest Pub. Co., 13 July 1956, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016804/1956-07-13/ed-1/seq-7/.

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Manufactured by Wilson Sporting Goods Co., American, founded 1914, and Owned by Althea Gibson, American, 1927 - 2003. Tennis Racket Used by Althea Gibson. wood, rubber, synthetic fiber, ca. 1960. National Museum of African American History and Culture; Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Donald Felder and family, JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.31888576. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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how Althea played a role in the Sports Illustrated Cover

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how Althea played a role in the Sports Illustrated Cover

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MLA Format
Primm, Eric, et al. “An Exercise in Subtleties and the Transmission of Racism: An Analysis of ‘Sports Illustrated’ Covers.” Journal of African American Studies, vol. 11, no. 3/4, 2007, pp. 239–50. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41819152. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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Carter-Francique, Akilah R., and F. Michelle Richardson. “Controlling Media, Controlling Access: The Role of Sport Media on Black Women’s Sport Participation.” Race, Gender & Class, vol. 23, no. 1–2, 2016, pp. 7–33. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26529186. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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ALDERMAN, DEREK H., et al. “Jack Johnson versus Jim Crow: Race, Reputation, and the Politics of Black Villainy: The Fight of the Century.” Southeastern Geographer, vol. 58, no. 3, 2018, pp. 227–49. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26510077. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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Letter to Althea from Sheila Ann Hessler 

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Letter to Althea from Sheila Ann Hessler 

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MLA Format
Written by Sheila Ann Hessler, American, and Received by Althea Gibson, American, 1927 - 2003. Letter to Althea Gibson from Sheila Ann Hessler. 1959. National Museum of African American History and Culture; Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.31887973. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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How Althea was also politically involved

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How Althea was also politically involved

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H.B. “A Personal Note from the Editor.” Challenge, vol. 5, no. 11/12, 1957, pp. 4–5. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40717883. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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Althea in interview about negros in sports 

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Althea in interview about negros in sports 

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MLA Format
“ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION: THE NEGRO IN AMERICAN SPORT.” Negro History Bulletin, vol. 24, no. 2, 1960, pp. 27–47. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44213538. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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Cahn, Susan K. “From the ‘Muscle Moll’ to the ‘Butch’ Ballplayer: Mannishness, Lesbianism, and Homophobia in U.S. Women’s Sport.” Feminist Studies, vol. 19, no. 2, 1993, pp. 343–68. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3178373. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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Created by United States Tennis Association, American, founded 1881, and Subject of Althea Gibson, American, 1927 - 2003. Wightman Cup Medal. metal, 1957. National Museum of African American History and Culture; On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 052; Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.31888058. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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MLA Format
Distributed by American Tennis Association, American, founded 1916, et al. Membership Card to the American Tennis Association for Althea Gibson. ink on paper, August 1995. National Museum of African American History and Culture; On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 052; Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Donald Felder and family, JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.31888071. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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MLA Format
U.S. Naval Base. Guantanamo Daily Gazette. U.S. Naval Base; U.S. Naval Base ( Guantanamo Daily Gazette ), 1991. JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.32745222. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

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primary source ; letter
MLA Format
Written by Sheila Ann Hessler, American, and Received by Althea Gibson, American, 1927 - 2003. Letter to Althea Gibson from Sheila Ann Hessler. 1959. National Museum of African American History and Culture; Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.31887973. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

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MLA Format
“Althea Gibson Annoyed .” New York Times , 10 July 1959, https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1959/07/10/80593256.html?pageNumber=13. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

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The complete edition of the New York Times published on Friday July 10, 1959.

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Althea Gibsonʻs opinion on politics etc. 

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Althea Gibsonʻs opinion on politics etc. 

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MLA Format
Trescott, Jacqueline. “Althea Gibson Was the Queen of Tennis. Now, It's Politics That's Lured Her Back into the Public Eye.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 5 June 1977, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/06/05/althea-gibson-was-the-queen-of-tennis-now-its-politics-thats-lured-her-back-into-the-public-eye/af1703b6-d6d6-488e-9762-f099dcfa742a/.

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TWENTY YEARS AGO Althea Gibson was the queen of the tennis court. As she won the premiere world tennis event, Wimbledon, in 1957 and 1958, followed by a sweep of the American tennis classic at Forest Hills, her breakthroughs in the all-white world of tennis earned her the title, "the Jackie Robinson of tennis."

And, just as the world had loved the sagas of the other "firsts," Jack Johnson and Robinson, they idolized the first black tennis star. At Wimbledon, the contrast was dramatic: the tall, gangly, still rough around the edges 29-year-old from Harlem accepting her trophy, curtseying timidly and fighting the tears, from the still new-to-be-throne symbol of gentility, Queen Elizabeth II of England.

In the intervening years Gibson, who will be 50 in August, has by no means forgotten the glories of Wimbledon, but right now she is concentrating on another game - politics.

She is running for the New Jersey State Senate on a ticket headed by Rep. James Florio (D-N.J.) and their first hurdle is a primary Tuesday.

"I have always wanted to do things that were beneficial to the public. But politics, I guess I was mildly surprised at my decision," said Gibson. "I thought about what I had read about crooked politicians, the kind not concerned with people, but then I finally thought, maybe this way my chance to do something for a number of people." A few months ago, because of frustrations with the bureaucracy, Gibson resigned her job as the New Jersey state athletic commissioner for boxing and wrestling, a part-time, $7,000 a year post she held for 14 months.

On the campaign trail, through the rounds of champagne breakfasts in East Orange, where she lives, through the walking tours of Hackensack and other Jersey towns, Gibson is a good drawing card. "People recognized me. They haven't forgottten and I feel good," said Gibson, her voice even deeper than usual because of the speaking strains of the campaign.

Like many stars, especially the sports breed, Althea Gibson has never totally disappeared from the scene. During the years of her Wimbledon and Forest Hills titles, she was named the Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year. In 1960, after winning the world professional tennis tournament, Gibson retired, only to join the women's professional golf circuit in 1963.

"I had won the major titles. There were no more challenges in tennis," said Gibson. At the time tennis trophies were simply statues and gold plates, without any money attached, and Gibson needed to learn a living. "I guess I was way ahead of the times. Now tennis is very profitable. But I don't cry over spilled milk. I feel I accomplished a great deal," she said.

Yet she tried other things. Evan before she retired, she made one record album and appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Later she made a movie with John Wayne and William Holden, titled "Horse Soldiers," wrote her autobiography and traveled for one season with the Harlem Globetrotters. In more recent years she has been a teaching tennis pro at various clubs.

As expected she has more than a passing interest in the current hoopla over physical fitness. "I think it's great. Physically I am very prepared for the rigors of campaigning. I play tennis indoors all winter and then play golf in the summer. No, I'm not into jogging, but if I feel a little out of shape I play tennis and run on the indoor track at the Y," said Gibson.

And politics and sports have their parallels for the tennis great of the 1950s. "I have to look back on my competitive tennis days. I go at politics vigorously, I go out to win, not to be just a participant."

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Althea Gibson was the queen of tennis. Now, it's politics that's lured her back into the public eye.

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TWENTY YEARS AGO Althea Gibson was the queen of the tennis court. As she won the premiere world tennis event, Wimbledon, in 1957 and 1958, followed by a sweep of the American tennis classic at Forest Hills, her breakthroughs in the all-white world of tennis earned her the title, "the Jackie Robinson of tennis."

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MLA Format
Walker , Donald H. “Drawing : ‘Althea Gibson (1927-2003) Pencil Drawing’ (Original Art by Donald H.WALKER's Fine Arts).” Drawing : "Althea Gibson (1927-2003) Pencil Drawing" (Original Art by DONALD H.WALKER'S FINE ARTS), 2022, https://www.donaldhwalkersfinearts.com/large-multi-view/-Historical-Icons-------------------------/720681-6-55431/Drawing/althea-gibson-1927-2003-pencil-drawing.html.

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MLA Format
Zimmermann, Jackie, and Kirbie Salvador . “Althea Gibson, the First African American to Break the Color Barrier in Tennis.” A WOMEN'S THING, 26 Aug. 2019, https://awomensthing.org/blog/althea-gibson-first-african-american-tennis/.

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Althea Gibson, the First African American to Break the Color Barrier in Tennis | A WOMEN'S THING

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Often compared to Jackie Robinson, Althea Gibson was the first African American to break the color barrier in tennis. The first person of color to win a Grand Slam title at the French Open, she went on to win ten more titles. Born in South Carolina, Gibson's family moved to Harlem in the 1930s.

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Adams , Allison. “Althea Gibson.” GROUNDBREAKING GIRLS , https://www.groundbreakinggirls.com/about . Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

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Gibson, Althea. Saturday Evening Post, vol. 231, no. 10, Sept. 1958, pp. 30–80. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mat&AN=19537396&site=ehost-live.

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Sign in with your credentials to access the EBSCOhost premium information resources provided by your subscribing institution.

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Authors of article
Ronk, Liz, and Lily Rothman. “The Woman Who Broke the Color Barrier for Tennis .” Time Magazine , 25 Aug. 2016, https://time.com/3924566/althea-gibson-life-magazine/ . Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.

person who took picture
McAvoy, Thomas D. The Woman Who Broke the Color Barrier of Tennis , 1956, https://time.com/3924566/althea-gibson-life-magazine/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.

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Ault , Alicia. “Althea Gibson's Momentous Achievement .” Smithsonian Magazine , 1 June 2021, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sixty-five-years-ago-althea-gibson-broke-color-line-french-open-180977859/ . Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.

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Baum , Allyn. Althea Gibson during Her Match with Darlene, Which She Won to Retain Her National Championship on Sept. 7, 1958 . 7 Sept. 1958. 

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Gosset , Carl T. “Neighborhood Children Greet Ms. Gibson upon Her Return to Harlem after Winning Wimbledon in 1957. .” Before Serena, There Was Althea , New York Times , Harlem , 25 Aug. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/25/nyregion/althea-gibson-tennis-harlem.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.

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Serena hails 'great pioneer' Althea Gibson

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The official website of the Women's Tennis Association. Rankings, live scores and more!

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Rosenburg, Sari. “July 6, 1957: Althea Gibson Became the First Black Player to Win Wimbledon.” Lifetime, 6 July 2018, https://www.mylifetime.com/she-did-that/july-6-1957-althea-gibson-became-the-first-black-player-to-win-wimbledon.

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Gosset , Carl T. “Neighborhood Children Greet Ms. Gibson upon Her Return to Harlem after Winning Wimbledon in 1957. .” Before Serena, There Was Althea , New Yor

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Jeff, Author. “The Tennis 128: No. 42, Althea Gibson.” Heavy Topspin, 26 Sept. 2022, https://www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/09/26/the-tennis-128-no-42-althea-gibson/.

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Jeff, Author. “The Tennis 128: No. 42, Althea Gibson.” Heavy Topspin, 26 Sept. 2022, https://www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/09/26/the-tennis-128-no-42-althea-gibson/.

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Images , Getty. Althea Gibson , BIOGRAPHY, 19 Jan. 2018, https://www.biography.com/athlete/althea-gibson. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.